THE TRAFALGAR ST. JAMES: The city on your doorstep, a winning rooftop and slick contemporary design at this 131-room hotel

If you’re looking for a spot to stay with the city on your doorstep then pack your bags and head for The Trafalgar St. James.

This hotel boats a top location, with rooms and a magnificent rooftop looking out over Trafalgar Square.

From the National Gallery to the West End, there’s a wealth of options to keep visitors busy.

I checked into the hotel on a Friday before Christmas and the small lobby area was a hive of activity with people wheeling cases through.

The check in process was swift and I was directed to room 506 on the 5th floor (in total there are 131 rooms at the hotel).

I liked the contemporary yet cosy feel of the room.

An assortment of art hung above the bed, including a portrait of Mick Jagger and there was a slick collection of books, ranging from a Alexander McQueen tome to one on Tom Dixon’s design.

The bathroom was fairly small but well finished, with a rain shower, polished stone tile work and a magnifying mirror.
There was a nice range of Molton Brown products, a brand that has become rarer in hotels as they move to hipster / less discovered products, but I appreciated this old school touch.

Another thing I liked were the robes with roped edging and the wardrobe included all the essentials such as an ironing set and shoe polishing kit.

After dinner I returned to the hotel. Despite its central location it is very quiet inside and I slept extremely well… that was until until the fire alarm went off at 3am.

The next morning a note under the door explained that this is a weekly safety procedure, which I understood but the piercing noise at such an ungodly hour left me feeling a little ruffled.

However, the fantastic scene of the sun rising over the city rooftops soon soothed me into a subdued state.

As did the knocking on the door at exactly 9am with a man informing me he had breakfast.

I’d ordered a morning feast the night before courtesy of the in-room computer tablet.

Unlike other hotel gadgets I’d seen before, the tablets in The Trafalgar St. James are extremely handy.

The have a hotel directory, give you internet access, have digital copies of the daily newspapers and you can place room orders.

It’s also linked to the sound system. This again was easy to use, and I was able to link up my phone to play music via Bluetooth.

The breakfast was delicious, and the chocolate croissant in the pastry basket was one we fought over.
The fresh squeezed orange juice also got top marks.

Check out – at a leisurely 12pm – was as swift as the check in process.

Just as I was leaving the place I spotted that there was a gym with 24-hour access.

Along with the gym, I didn’t get chance to check out the rooftop but I’d been in the summer and love the restaurant / bar space.

The Trafalgar St. James certainly does tick many boxes: a top location, winning rooftop, comfortable rooms with a trendy edge and attentive staff.

Just hope that you don’t book on a night when that piercing fire alarm is due…

The Trafalgar St. James is located at 2 Spring Gardens, London, SW1A 2TS